Mohali, September 30
A building of the junior wing of Yadavindra Public School (YPS) was inaugurated by Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, here today.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by Ms Mohinder Kaur, Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the YPS. The school choir presented two devotional songs, in Hindi and English,
before the inauguration ceremony. Students sang “Heh shaar de maan... agyanta se humen taar de maan” and “There shall be showers of
blessing”.

After inaugurating the building, Capt Amarinder Singh and Ms Mohinder Kaur were taken around the new building by the school Principal, Dr H.S. Dhillon.

The junior wing now will be housed in a three-storeyed building having a covered area of 46,000 sq ft. The ground floor accommodates apart from other things, a library, dance, yoga, arts and craft rooms, counselling room, a room for the sick, a kitchen and a headmistress’ office. The first floor has an audio-visual room, a staff room and nine classrooms. There are seven classrooms, a computer room and a science room on the second floor.

Prof Ghuman while initiating discussion said the contours of social science research methodology had been experiencing changes in the light of increasing voice of marginalised social groups in society. The conventional approach to social science research favours existing social and economic inequalities.

Ms Suzanne emphasised that the use of qualitative research supplement quantitative research findings. Social, economic cultural and gender related information can be uncovered on the research subject by participant or non-participant qualitative research methodology. Citing examples from her research studies, she opined that a better or a different understanding of data is possible by qualitative approach than by data collected by quantitative approaches.

Dr Vigar in his presentation familiarised the audience with the pitfalls in the process of quantitative thesis/report writing. A good qualitative thesis should be narrative and the researcher should be clear about the methodology to be adopted. Mr Suri, Dr Ramanjit Johl, Dr Dhian Karu and Dr S. Gakhar participated in the discussion.

Professor K.D. Sharma in his presidential remarks said qualitative research methodology should not be taken as means of inquiry as opposed to the till recently dominate quantitative research methodology. In fact, the debate on qualitative versus quantitative was no longer meaningful. This is due to the substantial work that has already been done in such field as sociology, anthropology, planning, psychology, marketing, management evaluation and organisational research to name only a few.

International
conference

Ms Seema Kapoor, a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Techn
ology, has participated in the 7th Asian Thermo Physical Properties Conference held in China. She presented a paper “Isobario vapour — liquid equilibria of 1 — butanol —
p-xylene system”.

The conference was organised by the University of Science and Technology, China, located at Anhui province under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Mohali, September 30
Corruption, which is prevalent in the administrative circles, has also entered the judiciary and is increasing day by day. Under such circumstances people will not be able to get justice even from the courts.

This was stated by Mr K.R. Joshi, national secretary-cum-working president of the Punjab unit of the All-India League Union, at a press conference here today. He said it had become an issue of concern for some advocates as corruption was crippling society. Political leaders involved in corruption were taking refuge in the corrupt judicial system.

He said in order to make judiciary corruption-free, All-India Lawyers Union (AILU) would start a country-wide movement from November. He said the issue of corruption would be taken up as a subject of debate at the eighth national conference of the AILU to be held in Jalandhar from November 5 to 7. Nearly 500 delegates from all over the country were likely to attend the conference. Delegates from other countries had also been invited to the conference. The Lok Sabha Speaker Mr Som Nath Chatterjee, would be the chief guest.

The union appealed to the Supreme Court and the high courts in the country and even the governments to eradicate corruption from the judiciary in order to restore the faith of public in the system. There was a need to amend the law of contempt of court.

He said cases were piling up in courts because a number of posts of judge were lying vacant. He demanded that the appointment of judges of the high courts should be made on the basis of merit and not on political considerations.

The union demanded that fresh entrants in the profession should be given a stipend for five years and also interest free loans to help them to establish themselves. The appointment of Notary Public should be done on a rotation for a fixed period. Retired judges should not be appointed in forums, commissions and tribunals. These appointments should be made from practicing lawyers on the basis of merits. The union demanded that women should be given adequate representation in the judiciary by having reservation in this regard.

“Pop Corn Khao Mast Ho Jao” is Pritish Nandy Communications’ new venture that will be released on Friday. The film has a plenty of new faces. Rashmi Nigam, a model of Daler Mehandi’s new album “Sha ra ra ra” and the item girl of the remix song video “Ja re ja...” makes debut with Akshay Kapoor. Tanishaa, the younger sister of Kajol, strikes back with this film. The film will be screened at Fun Republic, Manimajra.

Kabir Sadanand, who had earlier acted in many serials and films like “Chameli”, “Mumbai Matinee” and “Charas” also makes debut as director. The film revolves around four characters. It is about dreams, desires, aspirations, love and loss.

The film has music by Vishal-Shekhar. The duo promises different compositions this time.

Sex comedy

Famous South Indian film maker T.L.V. Prasad is coming back with a bang with his new film “Tauba Tauba” that features sensational Bengali actress Mona Lisa and Payal Rohatgi. “Lagaan” fame Amin Gazi plays the lead role. The film opens at Piccadilly, Chandigarh. The film is a story of a 15-year-old boy who gets obsessed with his teacher and his life changes forever. It is a sex comedy about relationship between a teacher and her student. Evershine Films has produced the film.

Fun film

“Let’s Enjoy” is produced by Pravin Shah and directed by Siddharth Anant Kumar and Ankur Tiwari. The film opens at Fun Republic. It is a small budget fun film that showcases urban youth culture. It revolves around a farmhouse party. The film stars Aashish Chaudhary, Arzoo Gowitrikar and Sahil Gupta in major roles. Gaurav and Tapan are music directors.
—D.P

Musicians from Pakistan strike a melodious chord in Seraiki — the language they use for musical expression. They are here to attend an Indo-Pak mushaira to be held at State Library,
Sector 34, Chandigarh, on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph

For seven decades now, the family of Mohammad Arif has been nurturing Seraiki as the preferred language for musical, poetic and theatrical expression.

After inheriting the legacy from his forefathers who mastered the art of "Rewayati" (traditional) theatre in Bahawalpur (Pakistan), Arif enhanced the reputation of Seraiki by using it extensively for musical compositions. Today, as founder of the Rewayati Drama Group of Bahawalpur, Arif leads his company from the front to ensure that Seraiki does not end up being labelled a lesser cousin of Urdu.

Landing in Chandigarh on a special invitation from the Federation of Migrant Groups from North Western India, Arif and his fellow artistes exuded a charm typical to those who hail from the interiors of undivided Punjab. Their rendition is full throated besides being rich with mystic verses of Baba Farid and Bulle Shah; their language is an interesting mix of Punjabi and Multani; and their style is uninhibited. That is what makes the group stand out musically despite the fact that none of its members has ever been tutored either in formal subjects or in music.

Even more impressive is the fact that Mohd Arif, the "literal" illiterate from Bahawalpur has to his credit the prestigious DLit, awarded to him by the government of Pakistan. Proud to share the information with us, the rather-young musician says, "Originally we are practitioners of the "rewayati" theatre in which folk tales like Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal are enacted by an all male cast. Even today we don't have women in our productions. Though they are trained singers, their talent is confined to homes. We sing in Seraiki, which still has over four crore takers in Pakistan. Bahawalpur is famous for its Seraiki connection."

Given to singing the verses of famous Seraiki poet Ahmad Tariq (who has been decorated with the "Pride of Pakistan" award), Arif is also associated with Madeeha Gauhar's Ajoka Theatre in Pakistan. He has been admired for his rendition of Baba Bulle Shah's verses (in tappa form) in Gauhar's celebrated production "Bullah". He is also equally at ease with the sufiana qalaam of Baba Farid, a poet saint he greatly admires.

In India to attend the Indo-Pak poetic symposium to be organised at State Library in Sector 34 on October 3, Arif says his dramas as well as his musical pieces are based on the issues of peace and brotherhood. "We talk about social issues like the urgency of communal harmony in this increasingly pugnacious world. We have created many dramas in the "rewayati" style. We are famous in Pakistan for having maintained the purity of our tradition."

A fine musician as he is, Arif is on the wish list of many Pakistani film producers. He has, however, always declined to sing in movies, lest traditional aspects of his style suffer. As he says, "Everyone in our group is dedicated to Seraiki and its promotion. We sing Multani ghazals, tohde, Multani kaafi, Seraiki folk songs and other musical forms. The hallmark of our presentation is variety. We act and sing in the same breath. And that's where our art lies."

FUSCHIA DREAMS: Model Kanika Ashok displays a kundan-studded bridal lehenga with shoulderless choli that is in vogue this season.

GET GROOMED: Ethnic is the choice of grooms this season. —
Tribune photos by Parvesh Chauhan

Bold is beautiful for Gen X and going by the trend brides are getting bolder (well, we mean as far as the trousseau choice is concerned) be it the colour or the cuts. More and more girls are ready to experiment with figure-hugging fish-cut lehengas, bustiers, shoulderless blouses, low-cut or backless cholis or navel-showing kitsch brocade trousers these days, says Roop Shergill, a city-based designer.

Nor is the bride-to-be shying away from colour as bold options like red, pink, orange, fuschia and hues of peach, plum, coral, wine, burgundy can be seen splashed over the wedding collections available all over the city. "Brides and grooms are willing to experiment more and lift the sombre veil of tradition to reveal the pulsating spirit of the event," says Suhavi, a budding designer getting training under a top-notch Indian designer.

There is a stress on sensuality and an effort to break the image of a docile bride by most top Indian designers who showcased their wedding collections at the recently concluded Bridal Asia show in Delhi, she adds. These designs are fit for the confident new-age woman who knows her mind and can carry the bold outfits without being bogged down, she adds.

While lehengas, rich in colour and steeped in flamboyance and splendour, are going big this wedding season, sarees with antique and kundan work are another choice for the brides to be. For other wedding-related functions, however, girls are experimenting with colours and outfits, says Ms Sharan Kumar, another city-based designer.

Halter-neck tops or the ones with sequined straps with brocade trousers or churidaars with hand embroidery in offbeat colours like lilac, lavender, turquoise are being preferred for functions like ring ceremony, sangeet or reception, says Gitanjli, a city-based designer.

Bridal lehngas and sarees feature a great deal of zari embroidery and kundan stones set in floral motifs, she says while displaying her wedding collection. Ms Kumar says sarees with vibrant floral appliques, colourful sequins and Swarovski crystals that create a mood of romantic drama are a must in trousseau.

As one explores the range in city stores the key element visible in wedding ensembles is shimmer! "Swarovski crystals form an integral part of bridal dressing", says Rajan, manager of an upmarket store in Sector 17. Gitanjli says kundan work on lehengas and mixed Lucknawi jaali work was the trend this season.

Textiles are no longer limited to silk or satin. Crushed tissue, brocade and chiffon are all being used this season, says Roop.

Even groom's attire has evolved from a dull sober suit to one with a lot of colour and glitter. There's nothing like a classy churidar kurta to make one stand out in a crowd. Ethnic wear looks great on the Indian male. It's also a great choice for those with a bigger build. Ethnic dressing has become very chic, be it for the groom or members of the bridal party. Sherwanis, achkans, kurtas with churidaar, Aligarhi lowers or straight-cut pajamas teamed with a matching stole and juttis, there is a whole range to choose from for the guys too. Rajnish Jain, owner of a store in NAC Market, Mani Majra, and in Sector 17, says sherwanis come in a variety of silk and woollen blends from off-white, beige to khaki color. Short jackets or knee-length achkans are also popular. "The effect is stunning when they are finely embroidered with zardozi, mirror work, threadwork jaal or antique zari, and then accented with a colourful stole.

Sherwanis with work all over rather than just on the front are the latest trend, he says, adding that the designs worn by Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan are the most popular.

The groom's dress can cost anywhere from Rs 5000 to 20000. You can go in for kurtas of varying lengths — knee length, calf length, etc. Churidars with lots of churis at the bottom too look good. The straight and parallel pyjamas stitched in a rich fabric are another option.

Ethnic wear requires special care while matching footwear. While mojris or juttis can be bought separately some ethnic ensembles come with fabric with matching work that can be used for getting the juttis made, says Rajnish.
TNS

Army bands participate in a competition in Ambala on Thursday.
— Photo by Neeraj Chopra

Western Command band competition ended at Kharga stadium, Ambala Cantonment this evening.

The 3 Dogra band won the trophy while 1/4 Gorkha Rifles band won the runners up trophy. 5 JAK Rifles band was in the third place. The display was presided over by Major General Pradeep Khanna, GOC Black Elephant Division.

The pipes and drums bands from different units of Western Command presented a scintillating performance. Martial music was played to perfection and the bands marched in tune with the music. Nine bands from various units, including Gorkha, Kumaon, Dogra, Garhwal Rifles, JAK Rifles and Mechanised Infantry units participated in the competition. The bands turned up in regimental uniforms and tartan shawls.

The mass band display was a sequel to the Western Command band competition conducted on September 28 and 29 under the aegis of Kharga Corps.
TNS